Category Manager, C-Store

ARI (Axcel Recruiting Inc.); Atlanta (GA); Remote; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ARI (Axcel Recruiting Inc.) is seeking a Category Manager for the C-Store channel to deliver insights and strategies that drive growth for brands and retailer partners. The role emphasizes translating data into actionable sell-ready stories and working autonomously in a remote-first environment.

Ideal candidates bring 7+ years in category management or related roles, experience with Nielsen/Circana data, and strong Excel/Power BI skills to support field sales and retailer planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, economics, or related field.
• 7+ years in Category Management, Shopper Insights, Trade Marketing, or Customer Strategy within CPG/beverage.
• Translate data into customer-facing recommendations that drive results.
• Strong experience with syndicated data (Nielsen, Circana) and retailer platforms.
• Advanced Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
• Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to tell fact-based stories.

Responsibilities

• Deliver integrated consumer, category, and market insights to inform retailer strategy and in-store execution across the C‑Store channel.
• Act as category steward for major partners, developing insight-led recommendations to grow beverage business.
• Identify incremental sales, space, and assortment opportunities that drive mutual growth.

Skills

Power BI

Excel

Data visualization

Presentation skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Economics, or related field

Tools

Nielsen

Circana

Tableau

SQL

Alteryx

Job description

Category Manager, C-Store
This Category Manager role will deliver best-in-class insights, analytics, and category strategies that drive growth for both our brands and supported retailer partners across the Small Format channel. The ideal candidate is an experienced CPG professional with proven ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights that fuel sales execution, shelf expansion, and retailer profitability. Known as a fact-based storyteller who partners closely with field sales, operates autonomously in remote environments, and focuses relentlessly on business impact, not just reporting.

Job Description

• Deliver integrated consumer, category, and market insights that inform retailer strategy and in-store execution across the C-Store channel.
• Act as a category steward for major convenience and value chain partners, developing insight-led recommendations to help grow their overall beverage business through our brands and initiatives.
• Identify and prioritize incremental sales, space, and assortment opportunities that drive mutual growth for retailers and the company.
• Develop bite‑sized, easy‑to‑sell insights that help field sales teams unlock distribution, displays, and shelf growth in independent stores.
• Translate complex data into clear selling stories that sales teams can confidently use in customer conversations.
• Partner closely with sales leadership to align insights with executional priorities and commercial initiatives.
• Analyze and synthesize data from syndicated sources (e.g., Nielsen, Circana), panel data (e.g., Numerator), and retailer‑specific systems to uncover growth drivers.
• Use tools such as Power BI, Excel, and planogram software to create compelling visuals and narratives that focus on “what to do next,” not just “what happened.”
• Deliver custom analyses and special projects that support customer planning, leadership decisions, and strategic initiatives.
• Operate autonomously in a remote‑first environment, proactively identifying opportunities and driving projects from idea to execution.
• Conduct periodic in‑market store visits to assess shelf conditions, validate insights, and uncover real‑world opportunities.
• Stay current on industry trends, shopper behavior, and competitive activity to ensure insights remain forward‑looking and relevant.
• Build and document scalable processes and best practices that improve efficiency and enable future growth.
• Create best‑in‑class tools for both internal and external stakeholders such as scorecards, case studies, merchandising standards, etc.
• Experience working with the Convenience channel Category Manager, C-Store
  This Category Manager role will deliver best-in-class insights, analytics, and category strategies that drive growth for both our brands and supported retailer partners across the Small Format channel. The ideal candidate is an experienced CPG professional with proven ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights that fuel sales execution, shelf expansion, and retailer profitability. Known as a fact-based storyteller who partners closely with field sales, operates autonomously in remote environments, and focuses relentlessly on business impact, not just reporting.

Qualifications/Requirements

REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Economics, or a related field
• 7+ years of experience in Category Management, Shopper Insights, Trade Marketing, or Customer Strategy within CPG and/or beverage
• Proven ability to translate data into customer-facing recommendations that drive results
• Strong expertise in syndicated data (Nielsen, Circana), panel data, and retailer-specific platforms
• Advanced proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau)
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to tell clear, fact‑based stories
• Highly self‑motivated with the ability to manage priorities independently

PREFERRED

• Experience in supporting national small format retailers (e.g., C-Stores, 7‑Eleven, Casey’s, Circle K, etc.)
• Expertise in data visualization/data preparation tools (e.g., Tableau, Microsoft Access, PowerBI, SQL, VBA, Alteryx)
• Experience with beverage or DSD categories
• Experience working with the Convenience channel